Electron-phonon interaction effects in tantalum

Journal Article · Tue Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.36.4103· OSTI ID:6040553

Al-Lehaibi, A; Swihart, J C; Butler, W H; Pinski, F J

The results of calculations for a number of electron-phonon interaction effects for tantalum are presented. The calculations are based on Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker energy bands, Born--von Karman phonons, and the rigid-muffin-tin approximation for the electron-phonon matrix element. The calculated Eliashberg spectral function ..cap alpha../sup 2/F is compared with the earlier tunneling data of Shen and the proximity tunneling data of Wolf et al. The calculated and tunneling transverse-phonon peaks agree well, but the height of the tunneling longitudinal-phonon peak is smaller than the calculated results. The calculated electron-phonon coupling parameter lambda is 0.88, which is larger than the lambda determined from superconducting tunneling and superconducting T/sub c/ measurements, but is slightly smaller than the lambda determined from electronic specific-heat measurements. Calculated phonon linewidths along various symmetry directions are presented. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity due to phonon scattering is calculated in the lowest-order variational approximation and it agrees with experiment. The point-contact spectral function of Kulik, G(..omega..), is determined and compared with ..cap alpha../sup 2/F(..omega..). The agreement between calculated and measured electronic specific heat and high-temperature electrical resistivity gives strong support to the validity of the rigid-muffin-tin approximation for electron-phonon matrix elements.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
• OSTI ID: 6040553
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 36:8; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104* -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
656100 -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Superconductivity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BAND THEORY
BORN-VON KARMAN THEORY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON-PHONON COUPLING
ELECTRONIC SPECIFIC HEAT
ELEMENTS
FUNCTIONS
GORKOV-ELIASHBERG THEORY
LINE WIDTHS
MATRIX ELEMENTS
METALS
MUFFIN-TIN POTENTIAL
PHONONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POTENTIALS
QUASI PARTICLES
SPECIFIC HEAT
SPECTRAL FUNCTIONS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
TANTALUM
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
TUNNEL EFFECT
VARIATIONAL METHODS